1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to the field of electrical devices of the type used to join conductor electrically and mechanically.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Solderless devices, or more specifically insulation displacement connectors (I.D.C.), for joining electrical conductors are well known in the prior art. Earlier devices designed to eliminate the insulation stripping operation generally forced a terminal plate having a bifurcated end portion around and through the insulation; an operation requiring considerable force and usually assisted by a tool such as a pair of pliers. These types of connector devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,370 to Elm and U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,611 to Johansson et al. These prior art devices do not provide any convenient means for disengaging a wire from the connector if it becomes necessary to remove the wire. The terminal must be pried out leaving the potential of damaging the wire, the connector and adjacent components. Other similar prior art devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,047,784 and 3,912,356 to Trank and Johannson respectively.
None of the prior art devices is designed to effectively utilize a broad range of wire gages because the terminal resiliency is not sufficient to accommodate large differences in conductor diameter. The present invention is configured to use a zero gap I.D.C. of the type invented by the inventor of the present invention and disclosed in United Kingdom Patent Application GB No. 2 089 147 A.